Rotary brush plastic bristle holder and mounting means

ABSTRACT

Disposable hollow plastic holders secure bent wire bristles in rotary brooms such as gutter brooms. Bristle bends are completely enclosed; bottom slots in the holders direct the bristles outward and downward. Holders are constructed in three sections bonded together to form smooth outer surfaces. Several holders are slid radially inward into inverted &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;T&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; shaped bars under a permanent plate. After all holders have been slid into place, an encircling retaining collar is dropped over the holders and is bolted to the plate.

United States Patent Horton et al.

[451 July 25, 1972 [54] ROTARY BRUSH PLASTIC BRISTLE HOLDER AND MOUNTINGMEANS [72] Inventors: John P. Horton, Bernardsville; Troy S.

Suker, Union. both of NJ.

[73] Assignee: Danllne Manuiacturing Company, Kenilworth, NJ.

[22] Filed: Oct. 2, 1970 21 1 Appl. No.: 77,586

52 u.s.c| ..15/180 51 in. CI. ..A46bl3/02 58 mu olSearchm. ..|s/|s0,19s, :91, 193, 199,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,108,079 8/1914 Morrison,Jr. ..l5/196 1,230,325 6/1917 Pride ..l5/I95 X 2,923,958 2/1960 LecheneI 5/ l 98 3,353.20! 11/1967 Horton et al I 5/l68 X FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 708,l83 4/1954 Great Britain I 5/] 80 8l8,804 8/l959 GreatBritain lS/l 80 Primary Examiner- Peter Feldman Attorney-Littlepage.Quaintance. Wray & Aisenberg [57] ABSTRACT Disposable hollow plasticholders secure bent wire bristles in rotary brooms such as gutterbrooms. Bristle bends are completely enclosed; bottom slots in theholders direct the bristles outward and downward. Holders areconstructed in three sections bonded together to form smooth outersurfaces. Several holders are slid radially inward into inverted "Tshaped bars under a permanent plate. After all holders have been slidinto place, an encircling retaining collar is dropped over the holdersand is bolted to the plate.

ll Claims, 6 Drawing figures PATENTED JULZ 5|912 SHLEI 1 0f 2 JOHN PHORTON TROY S. SULSER F/GZ PATENTEDJULZSIQIZ 3 57 530 SHEET 2 BF 2INVENTOIIS JOHN P. HORTON TROY S. SULSER A'rtdlnns ROTARY BRUSH PLASTICBRISTLE HOLDER AND MOUNTING MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Gutterbrooms on road sweeping machines are usually built of a number ofarcuate segments which, when assembled together, comprise the completedbroom. The segments. usually from four to six in number, are mounted ona permanent circular plate, which is attached to a rotary shaft. Bristleholding segments have been made of materials such as wood and steel.Each segment has a number of slots on a face opposite from a face incontact with the plate.

Outward and downward projecting bristles are constructed of conventionalmaterials, for example, high carbon flat steel wire having transversedimensions of about 0.025 inch by 0.125 inch.

Quantities of perhaps I 8 to 20 strands are medially bent and both endsare pushed down through slots. The media] portion is held by wiresextending across the slots or alternatively by a portion of the segmentbetween adjacent slots. When holes are filled with wires, the segmentsare bolted against the bottom of the permanent plate. The plate preventsthe wire from being pushed back up out the slots as the broom contacts astreet surface. The bristle bights in the segments have been exposed; inalternate forms the bights have been covered.

Building up of the broom using multiple segments has proved to be a timeconsuming effort, and the handling of the segments while building thegutter broom has been difficult. Dismantling has been likewise timeconsuming and difficult because of the great number of bolts involved ineach broom. The weight of the segments may be anywhere from 20 to 25pounds each when filled with flat metal bristles. The weight makes itawkward for a single person to hold the segment against the backingplate. turn a nut and hold a bolt in assembling or dismantling thebroom.

Disposable wooden or metal segments were introduced because of thedifficulty experienced when the strands of bristle had become worn andneeded to be replaced. A disposable segment can be thrown away andreplaced by a new segment which has been threaded with new strands ofbristle. Increased production costs have resulted from manufacturingsegments with drilled holes and from stamping and welding metalsegments.

Dangers from exposed bristle bights and wooden splinters or sharp metaledges have increased handling times and have made disassembly andassembly procedures arduous and distasteful to broom operators andmaintenance men.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns the productionof an improved brush apparatus, and more particularly, to an inexpensivebristle holder means for securing brush bristles which can be easilyattached to a brush support and retained using a minimum number ofparts.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce a bristle holder meanswhich is inexpensive and disposable. This object is achieved by makingthe holder of a molded plastic material. Apart from the inexpensivenessof the material, the holder can be made in a shape that permits easyhandling. The bristle holder can be made in a number of sections whereone of the sections covers the bristle bight. The sections can besecured together before or after the bristles have been threaded. Thesections can be secured by means of welding, bolting or bonding. The useof plastic material, also, reduces the total weight slightly.

By making the holders of molded plastic, it becomes possible to arrangethe manufacture of a number of distinct holders having their slots sopositioned that the bristles can be flared out to a number of differentangles, depending upon the nature of the broom, merely by setting at thetime of manufacture one member in the molding apparatus in apredetermined position.

A further object of the invention is to produce a bristle holder whichwill secure plastic bristles or bristles of a nonmetallic material aswell as metal bristles. The use of plastic bristles would serve tosubstantially out both the cost of man ufacture and the total weight ofthe holder tilled with bristles.

A further object of the invention is to produce a bristle holder whichcan be easily mounted to a brush support. This object is achieved bysliding the holder into a 'I" shaped bars permanently attached to acircular plate. the plate forming part of the brush support. Theadvantage of this lies in the fact that the holder need no longer beheld by the person securing the holder to the plate, the holders beingwedged between inverted T" shaped bars instead, once the holders havebeen slid into place. After the holders have been inserted, they may belocked in place by a convenient retaining means for securing the holdersto the brush support. Preferably, the retainer has a minimum number offasteners which must be manipulated. Another convenient form of retaineris a collar of a concentric ring design which fits over and encirclesthe rim of the circular plate.

When the holders are in place, the collar is lowered over the arcuateouter sides of the holders to retain the holders within the radialspaces within the inverted "T" shaped bars. The collar is then bolted tothe plate using one or two bolts. The holders need not be bolted to thecollar or the plate. To dismantle the brush, two bolts are loosened, thecollar is lifted to an upward, detent held position, and the holders areslid out of the "T" bars. Old holder segments are discarded and new onesare inserted. Handling of the holders is reduced to a minimum.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an assembled view ofa gutterbroom.

FIG. 2 is a disposable gutter broom segment.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are exploded views of the disposable segments.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a permanent gutter broom plate configured tohold disposable segments.

FIG. 6 is a view of the carrier plate showing the insertion of asegment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I shows a gutter broomassembly with rotary shaft 10 fixed to a permanent circular steel platel2. Collar 14 partially overlies and encircles plate 12 and retainsbristle holders inward. Collar I4 is attached to plate 12 by means ofbolts 16, which are secured in thread holes in the plate. Bristles l8flare outward and downward for maximum curb dirt digging action as thegutter broom turns. The rotary shaft 10, circular plate 12, collar 14and bolts 16 are permanent components of the road sweeping assembly;bristle holders and bristles 18 are disposable.

FIG. 2 shows assembled bristle holder 20 with bristles l8 directedoutward and downward from slots on the bottom of holder 20. Inconventional gutter brooms, holder 20 is bolted to the bottom of apermanent circular plate by the usual means of bolts. Thus, the holdersegments of the present invention are useful in known gutter brooms aswell as in the quick assembly brooms which are described herein.

Sides 30 of bristle holder 20 are convergent plane surfaces. F rom andrear 32 and 34 are segments of cylindrical surfaces. Bristle holder 20comprises cover section 22, middle section 24 and lower section 26.Preferably, the holder sections are molded from similar resins havingqualities of toughness, flexibility, resilience and form retention. Asuitable resin is, for example, a polyolefin, typically polypropylene.

Preferably, the bristle holding segments 20 are hollow, with eachsection having a generally planar medial portion. Middle and bottomsections have integrally formed spacing edges generally transverse totheir medial portions. Bristles are in serted in corresponding slots inthe middle and bottom sections, and the cover section is added. Abuttingedges of the sections are permanently joined such as by fusing orbonding with a suitable adhesive, and the bristle holding segments areready for use.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of holder 20 having a cover section 22, amiddle section 24 and a bottom section 26. Bristle 36 has a centralbight portion 38 and leg portions 39. Bight portion 38 overlies bar 40in holder middle section 24. Leg portions 39 and bristle 36 are directeddownward and outward through slots 42 laterally adjacent bars 40. Legportions 39 extend through slots 44 in lower holder section 26.

The bight 38 of bristle 36 is in contact with the curved portion of bar40. There is a space between bight 38 and the underside of cover section22. In use, the space is entirely filled by bristles. For example, theremay be approximately 20 bristles around each bar 40 so that the spacebetween bar 40 and the underside of cover section 22 is filled by thesebristle bights. In a similar manner. slots 42 in mid-section 24 andslots 44 in mid-section 24 are tightly packed with bristles to preventwear-causing hammering vibrations from bristle leg portions in contactwith the walls of the slots.

Cover section 22 has elongated depressions 50 which extend downward intohigh! receiving recesses to force the bights downward toward bar 40 andto distribute the bights along the bars.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, bight holding bars 40 are solidly formedelements which extend from the inner face of holder section 24 to theouter face of the holder section. Recesses 52, which contain bightholding bars 40 and slots 42, have substantially vertical outer faces 54and have sloping inner faces 56. Since depressions 50in cover 22 havefront to rear dimensions less than similar dimensions of the upperportions of recesses 52, pressing the depressions in toward the bristlebights tends to distribute the bights along the bars so that bristlelegs extend outward at slightly varying angles to give a full brushefi'ect at the active ends of the bristles.

The forward depression 58 simply spaces the bristle holding recessestoward the inside of middle section 24 to facilitate the outward flaringof the bristles.

ln lower holder section 26, walls 60 of slots 44 are extended upwardinto the body of the section and are solid to promote strength of thesection.

The upper edge of central section 24 is recessed 62 to receive acorresponding downward extending lip 64 spaced inward from the peripheryof cover 22. Lower section 26 has an upper recess 66 to receive acorresponding downward extend ing lip 68 on middle section 24.

After all of the bristles have been assembled, the downward extendinglips may be coated with an adhesive material before the sections aresnapped together to form a permanently joined assembly. Alternatively,the sections may be snapped together and heat applied around theintersections to fuse the corresponding lips and recesses. In thefinished product, the holder comprises a smooth surface body withoutrough inter ruptions.

Holes 70 extend through the cover, middle and outer sections 22, 24 and26, respectively, so that the bolts may fasten the holders to permanentplates of conventional gutter broom assemblies.

FIG. shows a view of the permanent plate of the present invention withinverted T" shaped bars 72 mounted radially on one face of the plate.The bars 72 have base or throat sections 74, which are connected to theplate, and ledge portions 76, which extend outward. The ledges holdbristle retainers up against the downward face 78 of plate 12. Whenholders have been inserted between the ledges and the plate, collar 14is lowered to its downward position to encircle the holders 20 and bars72, wedging the holders into place.

In alternative forms of the invention, fingers may be cantileveredoutward to underly portions of the bristle holders between bristle rowsto further rigidify the brush structure.

As shown in FIG. 6, when bristles are worn, bolts 16 are loosened orremoved so that retaining collar [4 may be lifted. The disposablesegment holders 20 are withdrawn from between the T" shaped bars 72 andare discarded. New holders 20 with fresh bristles are inserted betweenthe webs or bases 74 of adjacent T" shaped bars 72 and between ledges 76of the bars and face 78 of plate 12. Then the retaining collar 14 islowered over the holders and bars, and bolts 16 are tightened, readyingthe assembly for use.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

l. Bristle holder apparatus comprising a middle bristle holding sectionhaving integrally-formed bars as bristle retaining means, an outersection connected to the middle section and having bristle directingslots therein cooperating with complementary bristle retaining means inthe middle section, and peripheral sealing means interconnecting themiddle section and the outer section thereby forming a smooth outersurface of the holder apparatus.

2. Bristle holder apparatus comprising a middle bristle holding sectionhaving bristle retaining means, an outer section connected to the middlesection and having bristle directing slots therein cooperating withcomplementary bristle retaining means in the middle section, wherein themiddle section has an upward extending wall portion surrounding themiddle section and wherein the outer section has an upward extendingwall surrounding the outer section whereby bristle directing slots inthe outer section are displaced from the corresponding bristle retainingmeans in the middle section, and peripheral sealing meansinterconnecting the middle section and the outer section, the wallsthereby forming a smooth continuous outer surface of the holderapparatus.

3. The bristle holder apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a coversection overlying the middle bristle holding section opposite the outersection, the cover section having inward extending troughs opposite thebristle retaining means for forcing the bristles toward the retainingmeans.

4. The bristle holder apparatus of claim 2 wherein the middle sectionhas a downward extending peripheral lip and wherein the wall of thelower section has a depression in an upper edge thereof for receivingthe downward extending lip of the middle section whereby the middlesection and lower section are interconnected against lateral movement.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a cover section overlyingthe middle section and further comprising a downward extendingperipheral lip on the cover section and a complementary depression in anupper edge of the wall of the middle section whereby the cover sectionand middle section fit together and are held against lateraldisplacement.

6. The bristle holder apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bris tleretaining means comprises a plurality of integrally formed barsextending along a bottom of the middle portion and a plurality of opengrooves in the bottom of the middle section, the grooves includingportions of the bars whereby bristle bights overly the bars and bristlelegs extend through the grooves.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the grooves are elongated andwherein the grooves have substantially vertical walls at onelongitudinal end thereof and have sloping walls at opposite longitudinalends thereof.

8. Bristle holder apparatus comprising a middle bristle holding sectionhaving bristle retaining means, an outer section connected to the middlesection, the outer section comprises a substantially flat base having aplurality of bristle directing slots therein cooperating withcomplementary bristle retaining means in the middle section, the slotsbeing surrounded by upward extending slot walls, and peripheral sealingmeans interconnecting the middle section and the outer section therebyforming a smooth outer surface of the holder apparatus.

9. Rotary brush apparatus comprising a shaft, a plate fixed on the shaftfor rotation therewith, a plurality of radially extending bars mountedon the plate, the bars having ledges extending laterally therefrom inopposite directions and movable annular retaining means connected to theplate and extending between the plate and ledge portions and whereby theretaining means hold the bristle holders inward.

ll. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the movable annular retaining meanscomprises a cylindrical hoop with an inward projecting flange overlyingthe plate on a side thereof opposite the bars. and fasteners connectingthe inward flange to the plate, whereby unfastening the fasteners fromthe flange permits moving of the hoop, thus opening spaces between thebars for access to bristle holders.

k I i l

1. Bristle holder apparatus comprising a middle bristle holding sectionhaving integrally-formed bars as bristle retaining means, an outersection connected to the middle section and having bristle directingslots therein cooperating with complementary bristle retaining means inthe middle section, and peripheral sealing means interconnecting themiddle section and the outer section thereby forming a smooth outersurface of the holder apparatus.
 2. Bristle holder apparatus comprisinga middle bristle holding section having bristle retaining means, anouter section connected to the middle section and having bristledirecting slots therein cooperating with complementary bristle retainingmeans in the middle section, wherein the middle section has an upwardextending wall portion surrounding the middle section and wherein theouter section has an upward extending wall surrounding the outer sectionwhereby bristle directing slots in the outer section are displaced fromthe corresponding bristle retaining means in the middle section, andperipheral sealing means interconnecting the middle section and theouter section, the walls thereby forming a smooth continuous outersurface of the holder apparatus.
 3. The bristle holder apparatus ofclaim 2 further comprising a cover section overlying the middle bristleholding section opposite the outer section, the cover section havinginward extending troughs opposite the bristle retaining means forforcing the bristles toward the retaining means.
 4. The bristle holderapparatus of claim 2 wherein the middle section has a downward extendingperipheral lip and wherein the wall of the lower section has adepression in an upper edge thereof for receiving the downward extendinglip of the middle section whereby the middle section and lower sectionare interconnected against lateral movement.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4further comprising a cover section overlying the middle section andfurther comprising a downward extending peripheral lip on the coversection and a complementary depression in an upper edge of the wall ofthe middle section whereby the cover section and middle sEction fittogether and are held against lateral displacement.
 6. The bristleholder apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bristle retaining meanscomprises a plurality of integrally formed bars extending along a bottomof the middle portion and a plurality of open grooves in the bottom ofthe middle section, the grooves including portions of the bars wherebybristle bights overly the bars and bristle legs extend through thegrooves.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the grooves are elongatedand wherein the grooves have substantially vertical walls at onelongitudinal end thereof and have sloping walls at opposite longitudinalends thereof.
 8. Bristle holder apparatus comprising a middle bristleholding section having bristle retaining means, an outer sectionconnected to the middle section, the outer section comprises asubstantially flat base having a plurality of bristle directing slotstherein cooperating with complementary bristle retaining means in themiddle section, the slots being surrounded by upward extending slotwalls, and peripheral sealing means interconnecting the middle sectionand the outer section thereby forming a smooth outer surface of theholder apparatus.
 9. Rotary brush apparatus comprising a shaft, a platefixed on the shaft for rotation therewith, a plurality of radiallyextending bars mounted on the plate, the bars having ledges extendinglaterally therefrom in opposite directions and movable annular retainingmeans connected to the plate and extending outward therefromcircumferentially enclosing the bars, whereby bristle holders supportedon ledges of the bars are retained inward by the retaining means. 10.The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the bars comprise ''''T'''' shaped barshaving central portions connected to the plate and having ledge portionsremote from the plate for partially enclosing a space between the plateand the ledge portions and wherein the retainer means further partiallyencloses the space between the plate and the ledge portions wherebybristle holding apparatus are placed on the ledge portions between theplate and ledge portions and whereby the retaining means hold thebristle holders inward.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the movableannular retaining means comprises a cylindrical hoop with an inwardprojecting flange overlying the plate on a side thereof opposite thebars, and fasteners connecting the inward flange to the plate, wherebyunfastening the fasteners from the flange permits moving of the hoop,thus opening spaces between the bars for access to bristle holders.